Signal-controlling means for railway-gates.



J. A. GASSE.

SIGNAL CONTROLLING MEANS FOR, RAILWAY GATES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 11, 1913. 1,128,439.

Patented Fb.1 6, 1915.

VIII'I'IIII/IIIIIIIIIIIII/t @Iwuamloz i i/[Macaw J/T. icwse JosErH A. GASSE, or oLAItEIvroN N- w. :l-A MPsHIRE.

Specification of Letters I atent.

SIGNAL-CONTROLLING MEANS FOR RAILWAY-GATES.

Patented Bea-16, 1915.

' Original application filed September 12, 1911, Serial No. 648,939. Divided and this application filed. Hovember 11, 1913. Serial No. 800,290.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOSEPH A. GAssn, subjectof George V King'of GreatBritain and Ireland, residing at -Claremont, in

the county of Sullivan and State of New Hampshire, have lnvented certain new and useful Improvements in Signal-Controlling Means for Railway-Gates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway equipment and particularly to signal mechanism adapted to be attached to the arm of a railway gate to indicate by a visual and audible signal when the gate is lowered and raised and forms a division of my pending application, Serial Number 648,939, filed September 12, 1911, for gate controlling mechanism for railroads.

A further object of the invention is to provide a signaling device adapted to be attached to the arm of a crossing gate when, when the gate is lowered, will cause the lighting up of a signal lamp and cause the actuation of an electric bell and which will be automatically thrown out of operation when the gate rises to an open position.

A further object ofthe invention is the provision of a very simplecontrolling mechanism for signals adapted to be'actuated by gravity as the member upon which the signals are mounted moves froma' vertical to a horizontal position.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a view ofa railway gate in its closed position with my signaling mechanism applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of a portion of the gate in a half raised position. Fig. 3 is a perspective detail view of the gravity actuated controlling member. Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section show ing a portion of the arm of the controlling member and the roller thereon.

Referring to these drawings A designates a rail of a track and B-the casing inclosing the gate arm actuating mechanism. The gate arm C is of any ordinary or usual construction and is rotatably mounted at preferably upon a shaft projecting out from" the casing B. This gate arm is counterweighted as is usual and normally is in a raised positionbut upon the approach of a train this gate arm is lowered either by automatic means or by hand operated means into a position across; the roadway intersected by the line of track. ltivill-be' understood, of course, that there may be a plu ra-lity of these gate'arms controlling a grade crossing but I have only shown one of these arms inasmuch asall of the arms similarly equipped.

Mounted upon the gate arm 'is an electric will be signal bell 2 of any usual or ordinary construction and also mounted upon the gate arm and adjacent the signal bell is an electric'light 3. Electrically connected to the signal bell and to thesignal light is a battery .4, the conductor connecting the battery with the bell and light being designated 5. Pivotally mounted upon the gate so as to swing in a vertical plane as the gate descends isan arm 6 the lower end of which is counterweighted' as at 7. The arm is pivoted at 8 and the upper end of the arm, as illustrated clearly in Figs. 3 and 4., is provided with a roller designated generally 9. Thebody of this roller is formed of non-conducting material designated 10'and surrounding this body 10 is a shell 11 of metal. This shell is interrupted; that is, the shell does not extend entirely around the roller but a portion 12 of the body 10 is left uncovered. The inner end of the shell extends inward as at 13 and contacts with any suitable brush 14: whereby the current may be conducted from the shell 11 to a wire 5 which extends to the pivotal cenattached to this plate are the metal contactstrips 16 and 17. These contact strips 16 and 17 are arcua-te so that they are disposed entirely in the path of travel of the roller 9 and so as to be contacted with by said roller. means of a wire 18 to one of the binding screws of the bell 2 and the strip 17 is con- The contact strip 16 is connected by nected by means of a wire 19 to one of the terminals of the electric light 3. It will be noted that the strips 16 and 17 are of diil'erent lengths, the strip .17 being longer thanthe strip 16'. v

a will be obvious am when the nanconducting 1301131011 01 the roller 9 is in contact with the contact strip 16 no current will pass from the battery through the sig-- nal but that when the shell 11 is brought in contact with the strip 16 a circuit will be established through the battery 1, through thelamp 3, and through thev bell signal 2.

When the parts are in their vertical position I .the roller 9 will be turned relative to the strip 16 with the non-conducting face 12 of the roller presentedto both of the strips 16 and 17. As the gate descends however,

the counterweight '7. will cause the upper end of the arm tomove over the contact strips 16 and 17Yand as it moves the roller 9 will rotate until by the time the gate is partly lowered into the positionshown in Fig. 7'2, the contact face or shell 11 of the roller will contact with the strips 16 and 17 and thus the ciruit through the signals wvill be completed, the bell will be sounded while the gate is being lowered and the light displayed. i It is desirable that the bell shall be sounded while the gate is being lowered but that the bell shall be silent after the gate is fully lowered, the light, however, continuing to burn. This is the reason for making the contact strips 16 and 17 of different lengths. As the gate reachesanearly lowered position the roller 9 moves off of the contact strip 16 but retains its contactwith the strip 17 and as 'a. consequence a circuit remains completed through the wire 5 the battery 4, the wire 19, the light: 3, the strip 17 and the shell 11. As the gate rises the bell will again ring until the gate is fully raised, by which time the roller 9 has rotated to such position as to break the engagementof the contact plate or shell 11 with the strips 16 and 17 and the circuit through the bell and light is broken.

The upper end of the roller 9 is formed with a stop 20 which contacts with an arm r 21 which extends outward from the upper end of the reduced portion 6 of the arm 6,

this reduced portion forming a pintle upon whichthe roller 9 rotates. By this means "the roller is stopped after it is rotated partway around. This will insure a safe elsetrical connection between the roller and the strips obviate the necessityv of having a roller so made as to exactly cover the arcu ate strips 16 and 17 as it is rotated. In this latter case, if the roller wore out, or if the 'rollenfailedto roll properly, there would be trouble: By using the; stop 20 and'the arm 21, the roller may be cut to any size, regardless of the length of the arcuate strips 16 and 17 and yet a proper electrical connection will be secured. 1 My invention it will be seen is extremely simPlemay be easiD applied) any-gate now in use, and may be applied to various forms of'gate or may be'applied' to any other mechanism where it is desired to display a signal upon a movement "of a member from a vertical to a horizontal position.

Having described my invention, what I- v 2. The combination with a pivoted gate arm, of separate electrically actuated signals thereon, a source of energy connected. in open circuit with both ofsaid-signals, a pair of arcuate contact strips, each forming one terminal of the open circuit for each signal, one of said strips being longer tian the other, and a contact member carried, y said arm and forming a common terminal of both circuits, and electrically connected with the battery, said arm being movable into electrical engagement with the contactstrips as the gate moves from its vertical to a horizontal position.

3-. Ina railway gate, the combination with a pivoted gate arm movable from a vertical to a horizontal position, of an electric signal thereon, a source of energy connected in open circuit with said. electricsignal, an arcuate contact stripmounted upon-the gate arm and forming one terminal of said open circuit, a pivoted member mounted upon said gate arm and counter-weightedto be retained in a vertical .position, a roller mounted, upon the pivoted member and having rolling engagement with the contact strip, and a contact member disposed'upon the face of said roller and forming the other terminal of said circuit whereby as the gate arm descends the roller will be rotated-in contact with the strip to bring the contact-strip and the contact on the rollerinto electrical engagement to close thefcircuit through the signal f1. The'combination with a pivoted gate arm, ofan electrically mounted signal thereon, a source of energy connected in open circuit with said signal, an arcuate contact strip forming one terminal of said-circuit, a counterweighted arm mounted upon the gate arm, a roller mounted upon the counterweighted arm and having rolling engagement with said contact strip, said roller being of non-conducting material, and a contact member embodying a shell par- .tially surrounding the roller. said shell forming the 'other terminal of said circuit,

-whereby as the gate armdescendsthe roller will be rotated by contact with the strip to bring the contact strip and the contact on the roller into electrical engagement to close the circuit through the signal.

5. The combination with a pivoted member movable froma vertical to a horizontal position, of separate signals mounted upon the pivoted member, gravity actuated controlling'means pivotally mounted upon the said member, means actuated by the movement of the controlling meansfor displaying both of said signals as'the arm moves from one extreme of its movement toward the other, and means for cutting off one of said signals when the armhas reached the other extreme of its movement.

scribed, the combination with a pivoted member movable from a vertical to a horizontal position, of a signal thereon, a source of energy 'connected in open circuit with said signal, an arcuate contact strip forming one terminal of said circuit, a counter- Witnesses:

a roller mounted upon the counterment with the contact strip, a contact mem- A ber disposed upon the face of said roller and forming the other terminal of said circuit whereby after the member moves from a vertical to a horizontal position the roller will be rotated in contact with the strip to bring the contact strip on the roller into electrical engagement to close the circuit through the signal, and means for stopping the rotation of the roller after the contact member carried thereby has moved into enga einent'with the contact-strip. 6. In a mechanism of the character de f n testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

"JOSEPH GASSE. [11.8.]

W. E. KENNEir, E. B. Oseoon. 

